A Little Confidence
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day 1076b: Sectionals is upon them, and Ewan is wondering what has gotten Sugar so upset all of a sudden. - Beiste & Ewan series - Not Rory but Damian, see inside...


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 51st cycle. Now cycle 52!_

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_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Steps 44-53, Breathe & Push, chapter 4._

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**"A Little Confidence"  
(Beiste &) Ewan (OC; Damian McGinty), Sugar, Ewan/Sugar  
Beiste & Ewan series  
_(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)_  
**

Standing at his locker after Glee Club, Ewan had been approached by a seemingly flustered and annoyed Sugar. She just stood there for a moment like her rage was too great and kept her from talking. "What's the matter?" he finally asked her.

"Aren't you upset about this?" she asked, shocked. He stared at her, confused.

"Is it… about… Glee Club?" he slowly asked, as he eliminated potential reasons. She wasn't upset before, so it had to have happened in Glee Club… and he must have totally missed it.

"Yes, it's about Glee Club!" she burst, and he jumped. He tried to think about what had happened that day in rehearsal. They had presented assigned songs, and Mr. Schuester had announced the featured performers for the upcoming Sectionals competition… Before he could say anything… "You should have gotten a solo!" He paused. He would have thought she'd be upset that she hadn't gotten one, but knowing she was upset for him just made him smile, touched and surprised. It wasn't like he didn't think her capable of complimenting others, but this was definitely new to him.

"It's alright," he promised. "I'm new, and…"

"It's not alright, Ewan, and thinking like that is only going to make you get used to the idea that you don't need or deserve to get your way," she told him. "And Schuester completely ignored how you're so…"

"Sugar, hold on, wait," he put a hand to her shoulder and she paused. He sighed, looking around. "Look, the truth is I don't know if he would have given it to me or not, but I had asked him not to," he revealed.

"You did what?" she asked, shocked, and he gestured for her to lower her voice. "Why?"

"I don't know, I just… I'm not ready for it, and all the others have been doing this longer, waited longer, so it should be theirs… I'm still getting used to all this… and I prefer being in the pack with you…" he looked back to her. She looked like she'd been ready to turn back around everything he'd just said to her, until the last part, and then she shrank back, reflecting.

"Oh… well…" she thought again, then raised her head. "But at Regionals you're going up there," she pointed a finger. He smiled, holding out his hand. She looked at it, then placed her hand in it and they shook.

"Deal," he told her. She smiled back, stretching up to kiss him in that sweet sort of lingering way of hers. "I promise," he followed when she pulled back, which brought her right back. "Yes, definitely…" he breathed when she stood back again. She looked like she was about to go in for thirds when Santana passed by.

"Geez, get a room," she frowned. Sugar looked ready to pounce, but Ewan held her back, wrapping his arms around her from behind with a smirk. She let out a breath, looking up to him, and his face made her smile.

"Would you like to come for dinner tonight?" he asked her.

"Okay…" she was almost dazed.

He had seen this face on her before, this sort of 'I can't believe you're with me' face. As confident as she presented herself, he had seen so many times how, deep down, she was kind of scared and uncertain. He wanted nothing more than to show her how much he was just as shocked that a girl like her would give him the time of day. She was the first girl who didn't turn him into a blustering idiot whenever they spoke. It could have been that he should have been blabbering if she had such an effect on him, but maybe it was the opposite of normal that was the clincher. All the other girls left him powerless, but with her… he could be something better, for both of them. He didn't even want to imagine being without her.

The first time he saw her in her outfit for Sectionals, he did feel a tremble, though that couldn't be blamed. She would stand in the mirror, turning this way and that, checking herself out, and she probably had no idea he was right there. He didn't interrupt her.

Finally it was time, Sectionals day. Sugar looked so excited she could veer right back into unconsciousness at any second. She would fuss over him, fixing this and that, even when she had fixed it a minute before.

"Hey, Sugar, stop," he pulled her to a stop in front of him and she blinked.

"Sorry, habit. I just want you to look perfect," she shrugged innocently.

"But I am going to move when we're on stage, and… things will move," he indicated his clothes.

"Right, I guess you're right," she relented. He smiled.

"You look beautiful," he told her. "I'm not sure if I said it."

"You did," she beamed. "Not that I'd stop you if you felt like saying it again…"

"I'll tell you again after we w…" he was cut off when she slammed her palm against his mouth.

"Don't! You'll jinx us!" she warned him. He didn't move, both surprised and stuck. "Don't you lick my hand, Irish," she warned. After a beat, her eyes fluttered. "You just kissed it, didn't you?" she stared, slowly removing her hand. He didn't respond, but his face said it all. She closed in her palm like she was safeguarding it. "Well played," she told him. "Now, come on," she grabbed him by the other hand so they could get into place.

Talking to her had helped him calm down for what they were about to do. He knew their set, yes, but he'd never performed in front of so many people at once before, and as much as he tried not to let it get to him, it kind of did, a little. Now though, he just had joy in his heart, like Sugar had passed some of her exuberance on to him. So they stood in place, and as soon as they music started, he didn't think about how many people were there. He knew his aunt would be out there, and she was the only one that mattered.

With their set done they had waited, and they waited, until it was time to know the results.

When their name was called, and voices erupted, he turned and found Sugar, pulling her into his arms and right off her feet. She was shouting and hollering and his ears were ringing, but he didn't care. When he put her down, she looked up to him, grinning.

"We won!" she cheered.

"We did… and you're still beautiful," he told her, and she only smiled more than she already was.

"Guess you didn't jinx us…"

THE END

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******A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.  
****In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are  
************always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!**


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